Ryan Bowen and Larry Wheels- two of the most popular names in modern arm wrestling were seen pulling one another in the recently concluded Over The Top Down Under tournament which took place at the Star Casino on the Gold Coast on 30th April, celebrating “Over the Top” the iconic arm wrestling movie.
Lachlan Adair wins Over The Top Down Under, while Ryan’s win over Larry raises eyebrows
The event, touted as Australia’s biggest arm wrestling showdown, turned out to be a huge success courtesy to its splendid promotion by both Ryan and Larry on their official YouTube channels.
OTT Down Under saw local arm wrestling star Lachlan Adair clinching the number one spot, defeating New Zealand’s Maateiwarangi Heta-Morris in the summit clash to clinch the first prize of 10,000 AUD.
Ryan vs Larry was one of the most exciting matches taking place at the event. However, the way the match happened has raised many eyebrows and has created much controversy regarding the way Ryan defeated Larry.
There have been claims that Ryan climbed over Larry’s fingers, essentially robbing the American bodybuilder of a match. Counter assertions have also been made in favour of “Blue”, which state that Larry himself opted to grip low.
Ryan, however, went down against eventual champion Lachlan and took on Uzbek arm wrestler Bekzod Olimov for the third place finish, However, Olimov produced a dominating performance over Ryan and finished the Aussie with a hook to secure the bronze. Australian puller Mario Tambakis secured the fifth place finish after defeating Larry, who finished sixth.
Highlights:
- Over The Top Down Under saw Aussie arm wrestler Ryan Bowen defeating Larry Wheels in a controversial finish
- Bowen eventually finished fourth at the event while Larry came in at sixth
- Lachlan Adair won the tournament and 10,000 AUD after defeating New Zealand’s Maateiwarangi Heta-Morris in the final
